Experience the California Coast: A Guide to Beaches and Parks in Northern California
by California Coastal Commission
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Book Summary Information
Author: California Coastal CommissionEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2005-11-11
ISBN: 0520245407
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: University of California Press
Book Reviews of Experience the California Coast: A Guide to Beaches and Parks in Northern California
Book Review: An Overview of North Coast Travel Opportunities
Summary: 4 Stars
North of the Golden Gate Bridge, the California Coast becomes much more rural and rugged. Many state parks, beaches, tourist towns, and rivers invite exploration, but there is so much out there it is hard to know where to begin. Enter the California Coastal Commision which has somehow strong-armed the University of California Press into printing a guidebook listing all parks, beaches, public access points, private nature preserves, hostels, and many whale watching tours. (When was the last time a major university press published a travel guide?) If you are unsure where to go, this book is a good place to look for ideas.
On the whole, this is a decent book. Every park, tourist center, or beach has a one to three paragraph description focusing on the basics: fees, directions, natural features and the like. Destinations are listed from north to south with facing maps showing their location. The book is further divided into six major chapters: one for each county north of San Francisco. Interspersed throughout the text are feature articles covering everything from techtonic plates to birding and common coastal flowers. The color photos are stunning, but don't expect that much blue sky on your vacation. The north coast receives a lot of rain.
My main concern with the book is that park descriptions are sometimes too brief. In some ways, this is an unfair criticism because comprehensive guides cannot get bogged down in details. Still, I thought hiking was definitely shorted in this book. Day hikers will want to supplement it with John McKinney's California's Coastal Parks: A Day Hiker's Guide. If you want to spend several days, or weeks, exploring the wilder sections of the coast on foot, consider getting Bob Lorentzen and Richard Nichols Hiking the California Coastal Trail, Volume 1: Oregon to Monterey. State parks also often publish their own literature and maps. That said, this book is a valuable resource for planning your north coast vacation. Get it and go enjoy California's wild and scenic coastline.
Summary of Experience the California Coast: A Guide to Beaches and Parks in Northern California
The shoreline between California's Golden Gate and the Oregon border offers an endless variety of coastal attractions: soft white sand and coarse pebble beaches, forests of Sitka spruce and fields of California poppies, redwood glades and crashing surf, lighthouses and whales. This easy-to-use, up-to-date, comprehensive guidebook, packed with information on every page, tells you where to go in coastal northern California, how to get there, what facilities to expect, and what you can do at each location. The guide's gorgeous color photographs, topographical maps, and abundant information on natural history and the environment make it the perfect guide to pack along on any excursion to the coast of northern California for hikers, picnickers, campers, surfers, divers, wheelchair users, birders, boaters, kayakers, anglers, and travelers.* Includes a comprehensive list of more than 300 beaches, parks on or near the coast, and paths to the shoreline
* Features more than 300 full-color photographs, 49 detailed maps, and charts that provide information on facilities, attractions, coastal environments, access for the disabled, and more
* Lists recreational outfitters, including fishing boat services, kayak and surfboard rentals, and riding stables
* Gives information on hostels; campgrounds in national, state, and local parks; and private campground facilities
* Introduces the coast's major environments, including beaches, rocky shoreline, and the redwood forest, and highlights the plants, animals, and birds that can be seen in each
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